STUDENTS ARE CURIOUS ABOUT SEEING THEIR FAITH COME ALIVE IN THE CLASSROOM THROUGH THE CATHOLIC INTELLECTUAL TRADITION.

“Intellectual engagement with faith, both at the college and high school levels, helps students develop a deeper understanding of their faith,” said Wieboldt According to the data, high school students wanted their religion classes to engage with topics typically considered contradictory to religious belief, such as science, suggesting that dialogue between seemingly opposed disciplines helps students grow in faith.

“This finding offers an exciting invitation for Catholic schools. Initiatives such as BC’s Complex Problems & Enduring Questions program model how to facilitate interdisciplinary engagement with faith in the classroom, so there is a real opportunity for high schools and universities to partner and continue to build out their programming,” said Wieboldt.

At the college level, according to the SVP, engagement with philosophy or theology in the first year, especially through BC’s Perspectives and PULSE programs, changes the way that students think about the rest of their college years. “In these first-year classes, something touches students in a way that opens them up to wanting more and digging deeper,” said Kiefer, adding that these positive experiences can even lead students to become philosophy or theology majors or minors.